Road to Haguenau

Of course, if he ever failed even one of his assigned missions, she'd feed him to the Croc Loch near the Dark Fortress with no remorse. But he was safe for now and had been promised a great reward if he could unlock the secret behind the bizarre series of letters Professor Atticus had sent out to kids all over the world. He had only recently discovered the identities of several recipients, enabling him to further his investigation with stealth and caution. But finally, the time of intimidation and action was at hand.

It'd been a fun trick to send the "ghost" email to the boy named Thomas, quite clever in fact. It was the dumb kid's own fault for putting his information about the letters on the internet for anyone to find. There'd been a slight risk that Thomas might've chickened out and not gone to Alsace, thereby ruining a chance to learn more about Mistress Christine, but Davy couldn't resist the calculated threat.

He reached into his pocket to feel the reassuring lump of the special thing he'd brought along to perform the important task he'd planned. He couldn't wait to activate it; the devices they'd retrieved from the seventh reality were so much fun, futuristic and deadly. The spectacle would make all the hours spent spying on brats all over the world worthwhile.

And if it didn't work, there was always Plan B. Or C. Or D.

Giving up on the magazine, Davy Hans leaned back and closed his eyes. The boy and his father couldn't very well disappear on an airplane, now could they?

                                               ~

Tom felt so relieved when he and his dad were finally in a rental car, bags safely stowed away in the trunk, heading down the warm freeway to Aunt Lisa's house. Even though it was still mid-evening, the land around them had grown brighter. The sun's long journey above the horizon hadn't ended hours ago.

Tom held a map in his lap, navigating for his dad. Lisa lived on the outskirts of Haguenau in a small suburb that seemed pretty easy to find. Most of the way followed one main road that stretched endlessly before them, the faded yellow lines of the lane markers seeming to flash then disappear beneath the car.

"Well, professor," Dad said, "get ready for Aunt Lisa. She's quite the character, as I can remember, and full of more ideas on how to save your life than you'll probably care to hear. Just know that she means we'll do a lot of nodding."

"I'm excited to meet her."

His dad laughed. "You should be, you should be. Trust me, if you want entertainment, we are going to the right place."

They'd eaten at a fast food restaurant before heading out of the airport, and Tom still had his soda, from which he took a big long gulp. "You think she'll mind when we go out exploring Mulhouse?"

   "You can bet your life savings she'll mind, all right, but, oh well. We'll tell her we didn't want to waste such a good opportunity to see the sights of this beautiful land she calls home. That'll get her, I hope."

       "When do you think we'll drive out there? Tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds good to me. That'll give us the whole evening with Lisa tonight and breakfast tomorrow—your mom says she makes a mean plate of eggs, bacon, and the works. Hopefully, we can figure something out and return to her place tomorrow night."

"I just hope Mulhouse isn't a dead end."

His dad reached over and patted Tom on the leg. "No, we'll find something. It couldn't have been a ghost that sent that letter, now could it?"

"Judging by what I've seen lately, maybe."

"Good point."

Tom studied the map. "Looks like you turned into her neighborhood up there to the right."

Mr. Noland flipped on the blinker as he slowed the car.

                                    ~

A mile or so behind, Davy Hans pulled off the road and stopped, not wanting to take the chance of being spotted. He'd wait an hour or so, then find himself a discreet parking space where he would watch the house. The boy and his father would probably spend the night, saving their planned expedition to Mulhouse for tomorrow.

Davy wanted to see what they discovered there before he put his plan into action. Every little bit of information on what Professor Atticus was up to might help Mistress Christine's cause, and Davy meant to find out everything he could. When the two adventurers drove back to Haguenau after their investigation, he'd implement the device that sat in his pocket, ready and hungry to get to work.

He chuckled at the thought.

                                                   ~

Tom and his dad stood in front of the door to Aunt Lisa's home, staring at the plastic flowered wreath that must've hung there for two or three decades—it's every surface covered in dust. The house itself was a cold and weary pile of reddish bricks, but the warm light shining through the curtains in the window made it seem like the coziest place on Earth. However, neither of the Nolands moved to push the doorbell just yet.

"Well, here we are," Dad said. A thick layer of cobblestone covered the yard around them; it looked like a miserably fervid wasteland that hadn't seen the full rain or snow in years.

"Here we are," Tom repeated, gripping his suitcase.

"Now, one last warning." Dad looked at his son. "Aunt Lisa is at least thirty-nine years old. She laughs like a hyena, and she smells like three freshly squeezed lemon fragrance tubes.

Tom smiled. "Good enough for me. I love ancient history and watching nature shows, and I don't mind the smell of lemon."

His dad nodded. "That's the spirit. Let's do this thing." He reached out and pushed the doorbell button. They waited, whilst Tom was already imagining what it would look like to meet his mom's old friend, whom his dad barely remembered, though he had a glimpse of her a bit.

Three seconds later, Aunt Lisa pulled the door open.